System for storage and retrieval of diverse types of information obtained from different media sources which includes video, audio, and text transcriptions

• US 5,729,741 A
• Filed: 04/10/1995
• Issued: 03/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Original Assignee: Golden Enterprises Incorporated (Um Partners LLC Series R)
• Inventors: Connor, Andrew Frank, Liaguno, Anthony Shawn
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RONES, CHARLES
• Application Number:
  US08/419,152
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• Field of Search: 364/900, 364/419, 364/518, 364/283.2, 364/514 R, 364/401, 364/551.01, 395/600, 395/147, 395/200, 395/615, 395/603, 395/154, 395/106, 395/508, 395/605, 395/208, 395/796, 395/761, 395/604, 395/2.79, 395/612, 395/617, 341/67, 382/36, 382/61, 382/317, 382/175, 340/995, 434/118
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

An integrated media image information storage and retrieval system processes information supplied by different types of media. A processor-based network server operates as a system interface between one or more user control terminals, a media image capture station through which media image input/output devices are coupled to the network server, and a memory for storing media image files to be retrieved for reproduction. A supervisory media image manipulation and control program is accessed through a supervisory graphical user interface at any user control terminal, and has embedded subordinate media image manipulation programs for different types of media and information formats. When using the interface to import information from an arbitrary medium, the user is able to generate a first, index storage file, and a supplemental text description-based file, so as to facilitate rapid retrieval of any type of data, regardless of its original format (e.g. text, picture, text-picture combination, video, audio) and regardless of the capture medium or source from which it is imported into the system.

Claims

1. A method of processing information contained in different types of media, comprising the steps of:

(a) processing each and every of said different types of media by storing in memory a first, index storage file, which contains a text description of the contents of information contained in said any medium, and an identification of said first, index storage file; and

(b) for each respective medium processed in step (a), analyzing the contents of information of said respective medium, regardless of the type of the subject matter of said contents of information, for the presence of text, and generating a second, text file, that contains all text found in said medium and storing said second, text file in memory in association with said first, index storage file; and

wherein

said respective medium comprises a video recording medium containing video and voice information signals associated with a video recorded activity, and a further medium containing a separate transcription of said voice information, and wherein

step (b) comprises processing said voice information signals through an automated voice recognition-to-text conversion mechanism, so as to generate a voice-converted text file, and processing said further medium containing said separate transcription of said voice information to generate a transcribed voice text file, and correlating successive words of said voice-converted text file and successive words of said transcribed voice text file to associate contents of said transcribed voice text file with said video information.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said video information contains time line information, and wherein step (b) comprises correlating said successive words of said voice-converted text file with said successive words of said transcribed voice text file to associate said time line information of said video information with said transcribed voice text file, and storing said time line information as part of said transcribed text file.

3. A method according to claim 2, further including the step (c) retrieving video information associated with a transcribed text file by searching said time line information of said transcribed text file.

4. A method of processing information supplied by way of a different types of media, comprising the steps of:

(a) for any medium of said different types of media, generating a first, index storage file, which contains information contained in said any medium, an identification of said first, index storage file and a text description of the contents of the information contained in said any medium, and storing said first, index storage file in memory; and

(b) for said any medium, analyzing said information contained therein, regardless of the type of the subject matter of said information, for the presence of text-type information, and generating a second, text file, that contains all text-type information detected to be present in the analyzed information, and storing said second, text file in memory in association with said index storage file; and

wherein said any medium comprises a video recording medium containing video and voice information signals associated with a video recorded activity, and a further medium containing a separate transcription of said voice information, and wherein

step (b) comprises processing said voice information signals through an automated voice recognition-to-text conversion mechanism, so as to generate a voice-converted text file, and processing said further medium containing said separate transcription of said voice information to generate a transcribed voice text file, and correlating successive words of said voice-converted text file and successive words of said transcribed voice text file to associate contents of said transcribed voice text file with said video information.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said video information contains time line information, and wherein step (b) comprises correlating said successive words of said voice-converted text file with said successive words of said transcribed voice text file to associate said time line information of said video information with words of said transcribed voice text file, and storing said time line information as part of said transcribed text file.

6. A method according to claim 5, further including the step (c) retrieving video information associated with a transcribed text file by searching said time line information of said transcribed text file.

7. A system for processing information supplied by way of a different types of media, comprising:

an image capture station to which said different types of media are coupled and which is operative to generate a digitized representation of information contained in any medium coupled thereto;

memory in which digitized image files are storable; and

an information processor, which is coupled with said image capture station and is operative to generate a first, index storage file, which contains information contained in said any medium, an identification of said first, index storage file, and a text description of the contents of the information contained in said any medium, and which is operative to store said index storage file in said memory, and wherein said information processor is further operative to analyze said information contained in said any medium regardless of the type of the subject matter of said information, for the presence of text-type information, and to generate a second, text file, that contains all text-type information detected to be present in the analyzed information, and stores said second, text file in said memory in association with said index storage file; and

wherein

said any medium comprises a video recording medium containing video and voice information signals associated with a video recorded activity, and a further medium containing a separate transcription of said voice information, and wherein

said information processor includes an automated voice recognition-to-text conversion mechanism which converts said voice information signals to a voice-converted text file, processes said further medium containing said separate transcription of said voice information to generate a transcribed voice text file, and correlates successive words of said voice-converted text file and successive words of said transcribed voice text file so as to associate contents of said transcribed voice text file with said video information.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein said video information contains time line information, and wherein said information processor is operative to correlate said successive words of said voice-converted text file with said successive words of said transcribed voice text file to associate said time line information of said video information with words of said transcribed voice text file, and to store said time line information as part of said transcribed text file.

9. A system according to claim 8, further including an image retrieval mechanism which is operative to retrieve video information associated with a transcribed text file by searching said time line information of said transcribed text file.

10. A system for processing information supplied by way of a different types of media, comprising a processor-based network server, which operates as a system interface between one or more user control terminals, an image capture station through which image input/output devices are coupled to said network server, and a memory for storing image files to be retrieved for reproduction on a reproduction device, said network server operating in accordance with a supervisory image manipulation and control program, accessible by means of a supervisory graphical user interface at any user control terminal, said supervisory image manipulation and control program having embedded subordinate image manipulation programs for different types of media and information formats thereof, said supervisory image manipulation and control program being operative to generate a first, index storage file, which contains information contained in any of said different type of media, an identification of said first, index storage file, and a text description of the contents of the information contained in said any of said different type of media, and is operative to store said index storage file in said memory, and to analyze said information contained in said any of said different type of media, regardless of the type of the subject matter of said information, for the presence of text-type information, and to generate a second, text file, that contains all text-type information detected to be present in the analyzed information, and stores said second, text file in said memory in association with said index storage file, and wherein said image capture station is coupled to import video and voice information signals associated with a video recorded activity from a video recording medium, and a separate transcription of said voice information on a further medium, and wherein said image capture station includes an automated voice recognition-to-text conversion mechanism which converts said voice information signals to a voice-converted text file, and wherein said supervisory image manipulation and control program is operative to correlate successive words of said voice-converted text file and successive words of said transcribed voice text file so as to associate contents of said transcribed voice text file with said video information.

11. A system according to claim 10, wherein said video information contains time line information, and wherein said supervisory image manipulation and control program is operative to correlate said successive words of said voice-converted text file with successive words of said transcribed voice text file to associate said time line information of said video information with said transcribed voice text file, and to store said time line information as part of said transcribed text file.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein said supervisory image manipulation and control program is operative to retrieve video information associated with a transcribed text file by searching said time line information of said transcribed text file.